While many chemical intermediates (e.g., lactic acid and succinic acid) can be produced via bio-derived processes such as fermentation, in order to match the scale, flexibility, and efficiency of the petrochemical industry, the bioproducts industry must develop additional chemical building blocks that are versatile and competitive. For example, acrylic acid is a prominent chemical that is polymerized into a broad range of versatile chemicals and resins, including plastics and hydrogels. Acrylic acid is also a co-polymer component in aerosol hair sprays and finds application as a foam stabilizer in shampoos. In medicine and dentistry, acrylic acid is used in the manufacture of dental plates, artificial teeth, and orthopedic cements. Acrylic acid is also a chemical intermediate used in the formation of acrylates which find application in polymer solutions for coating applications, emulsion polymers, paint formulations, and paper coatings. And, esters of acrylic acid play major roles in coatings, textiles, adhesives, paper, and plastics.
Accordingly, there remains a need to develop processes for production of such chemical intermediates from which a host of useful products can be made.